This invention relates to a disinfecting connection for catheters and the like which has substantial advantages over what has been previously known in this field. The connection which is the subject of this invention will be applied to fluid conducting systems for catheters and other similar means by which the passage of fluid products to be incorporated to a human body is carried out. Various drug solutions and blood serum are examples of such fluid products.
In conducting systems for fluids to be incorporated to the human body, it is necessary to provide a means for the disinfection of the connection element, which usually consists of a needle.
European Patent Application 88108931.2 discloses a former embodiment of the same Applicant in which a solution is given to the problem of the complete and integral disinfection of the needle for the connection to the catheters. However, in this previous embodiment there was the problem of the eventual physical contact of the hand or other external bodies with the limiting end closure of the disinfecting element, where protection was not complete. Also, the center of the connecting needle with the disinfecting element was not completely safe because the needle was not properly guided during its insertion which could lead to a faulty location of the same, making a second insertion necessary.
Additionally, in the previously known embodiment, when the need arose to replace the disinfecting unit, the catheter which formed part of the same had to be replaced as well, which made necessary a new surgical procedure to insert a new catheter into the patient. That was particularly troublesome in cases of patients requiring a catheter for very long periods of time which in some cases could be years or may extend to the whole life of the patient.